1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to sleeping bags and the like, and more particularly, to a new and novel construction therefor for replacement of separate sheets and pillow cases employed in conjunction with a mattress.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Sleeping bags found in the prior art have been widely used in a number of various ways and in diverse applications.
One such application includes the use of such sleeping bags as taught by U.S. Pat. No. 2,239,017 (Roberts) wherein it is used as a sanitary covering for a bed having particular usefulness with babies or young children to keep them fully covered at all times.
As clearly identified by these sleeping bags, sanitation and convenience are important and desirable characteristics of such items.
One of the problems encountered with prior art sleeping bags is that the sanitary liner fails to include a means for also protecting the pillow in a similar sanitary fashion as the bed or sleeping bag.
Another difficulty frequently exhibited by sleeping bags of the prior art variety is that the bottom of the bag enclosing the feet of the user is uncomfortably confining to the user's feet and unduly restricts the movement thereof.
Anoher limitation experienced in the use of previous bags is that such bags fail to incorporate means whereby the length of the sleeping bag is extensible to permit the use by a relatively taller person.
Modernly, use of sleeping bags has found wide spread use in conjunction with various recreational vehicles, such as motor homes, trailers and the like. Prior art bags open only along one side of the bag to permit ingress and egress therefrom. When a sleeping bag is used on a bed or bunk in such a recreational vehicle, the bag may open along the wrong side of the bed such as the side of the bed facing the wall of the recreational vehicle. Or the bag, perhaps, has failed to incorporate means for removably securing or lashing the sleeping bag to the mattress of the bed upon which it rests.
Further, the construction of many sleeping bags in the prior art is relatively complex and, consequently, is labor intensive and costly to produce.
The simplest construction of a sleeping bag is merely to seam two coextensive sheets together along the foot of the bag. However, when the person crawls therebetween, the upper sheet is elevated, opening the sides of the bag and uncovering the user thereof. Additionally, the seams form right angles with each oher, which requires that the sewing machine operator stop sewing, reorient the sheets to be seamed and seam along another line. Such a procedure is time consuming and increases the cost of such an article of manufacture. Further, the securing of the stretch tapes diagonally across the underside of the corners required the operator to perform multiple passes to sufficiently anchor the ends of the tapes to the edges of the seamed sheets, all of which involved additional time and expense.
The inventor herein, after a considerable amount of time, research and experimentation, has devised a sleeping bag of the type characterized and described herein to overcome the significant disadvantages such as found in the use of these prior art sleeping bags.